Drying and piling device for wet developed sensitized papers



United States Patent [72] Inventors Ryutaro Yamagata 86 Ohara Ashiya, Hyogo, Koso Nakamune, 1-78 Kitanakamichi-cho l-Iigashinari-ku; and Tatsuo Aizawa, 6-34, Kuwazu-cho, Higashisumiyoshi-ku, Osaka, Japan [21] Appl. No. 742,088 [22] Filed July 2, 1968 [45] Patented Nov. 10,1970

[54] DRYING AND PILING DEVICE FOR WET DEVELOPED SENSITIZED PAPERS 4 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 95/89, 34/ 1 5 [51] Int. Cl (103d /02, G03d 3/12 Field ofSearch /89,94; 271/74; 314/155, 160, 162

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,340,618 9/1967 Bentzman 34/162 Primary Examiner-John M. Horan Assistant Examiner-Robert P. Greiner Attorney- Milford A. Juten ABSTRACT: Apparatus for drying an exposed wet developed sensitized paper sheet and piling the dried sheets in a tray with the apparatus including developing applying rollers with disclike feeding rollers spaced in the direction of feed therefrom and manifold direction drying air on one or both surfaces of the sheets as they are being fed with the air currents serving to direct the sheets into a receiving tray in which they are neatly piled.

Patented Nov. 10, 1970 FIG. 3

DRYING AND PILING DEVICE FOR WET DEVELOPED SENSITIZED PAPERS Heretofore, photocopies developed by the wet developing process have required extensive drying apparatus to dry the photocopy after development or the copies were objectionably wet and had to be individually handled until they were sufficiently dry for normal use.

The present invention relates to the copy-making art and particularly photosensitive copies which are developed by the application of a liquid developer to the exposed sensitized surface and such liquid developer must be removed by suitable means such as drying.

Heretofore, the drying had been done in various manners usually requiring much manual handling of the individual copies and the equipment used required a large amount of space and frequently the drying was incomplete, requiring spreading of the prints on a surface with additional expense and delay.

An object of the present invention is to overcome the difficulties enumerated above.

Another object is to provide a drying and guiding means by using moving drying air to maintain sheets of material in a proper feed path.

The invention provides for applying a developer liquid by means of rollers of which one roller extends into a tank of the developer and the sheets are fed from the developing roller by means of feed rollers having a plurality of spaced roll elements arranged with the roll elements in axially spaced relation with the roll elements pinching the sheets to positively feed the sheets and manifold-type blowers extend across the path of the sheets between the developer applying rollers and the feed rolls and blow a warm drying gas, such as air, on one or both surfaces of the sheets, maintaining the sheets in suspended relation as they project beyond the feed rollers, with the drying air effectively drying the sheets and the drying air serves to support the sheets as the sheets leave the feed rollers and the sheets are substantially dry and are then received in a tray and piled one on another in succession with the sheets being sufficicntly dry for practical use and storage.

Other and further objects and advantages will be apparent from the detailed description and from the drawing in which:

F IG. 1 is a diagrammatic vertical sectional view of the developing, drying and piling devices in operation and showing the upper and lower drying blowers with the blasts of drying air supporting the sheets as they are received in a neat pile in a tray;

P16. 2 is an elevation of the exit end of the apparatus showing the spaced feed rolls supported on driven shafts in the side members and showing the nozzle openings in the manifolds for directing drying air;

FIG. 3 is a section similar to FIG. 1 showing a single drying blower below the path of the sheets; and

FlG. 4 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 1 showing a single drying blower above the sheets.

Side frame members a,a rotatably support upper and lower developer rollers 2 and 3 with the lower roller 2 being partially immersed in a developing liquid b and a copy sheet C, which has previously been exposed, is guided by entrance guide plate 4 into the bite of the developer rollers 2 and 3 and the copy sheet is guided from the rollers by a guide plate 5 to a feeding means which includes a pair of shafts 6 and 6' rotatably mounted in side frame members a,a and such shafts carry spaced feed rolls 7, 7 into the bite of which the copy sheet C passes and is fed by such feed rolls 7 and 7' to the receiving tray 8. An upper manifold 9 and a lower manifold 9' are positioned between the pair of developer rolls 2 and 3 and the feed rolls 7 and 7 and such manifolds include nozzles 10 and 10, respectively, which have apertures 11 and 11, respectively, which are directed toward the copy sheet C and toward the feed rollers 6 and 6' and drying gas, such as air, is fed to the manifolds through conduits l2 and 12, respectively, under sufficient pressure to effectively dry the copy sheets C as they progress through the feed rollers 7, 7 with the drying gas passing through the spaces between the adjacent feed rolls into unobstructed contact with both surfaces of the copy sheet C, as shown in dash-dot lines in FIG. 1 as the copy sheet emerges from the feed rolls, the motion of the drying air being shown by the arrows in the various figures of the drawing.

The drying air is fed to conduits l2 and 12' from any suitable source of dry heated air and one source is the heated air which is discharged from the'exposing apparatus where air is directed against the exposure lamps and the cylinder which supports the master and the copy sheet during the exposure. Consequently this invention takes advantage of the heat produced by the exposure lamp to dry the wet developed copies. It will be apparent that suitable conduits and pumps are provided to carry the heated air and provide sufficient pressure and volume to accomplish the drying action.

In the modification of FIG. 3, the manifold 9' is placed on only the underside of the wetted sensitized paper C and suitable guide rollers 13 are rotatably mounted in the frame members a,a to maintain the wetted sensitized paper in its proper feed direction.

In FIG. 4, the manifold 9 with the nozzle 10 is provided above the copy sheet C only and the apertures 11 are directed downwardly and toward the feed rollers 7, 7 and suitable guide rollers 13 are provided to guide the leading edge of the copy sheet into the guide rollers 7, 7'.

In the embodiment of the invention in FIG. 1 where blower manifolds are provided above and below the copy sheet, the strong air flow extending toward the feeding rolls and toward the copy sheets serves to feed the leading edges of the copy sheets into the feed rolls 7 and 7 and the air blows through the spaces between the rolls 7 and 7' causing the air to brush along both surfaces of the copy sheet, thereby effectively drying the copy sheet and maintaining the copy sheet in suspended condition as shown by the dot-dash line to illustrate a copy sheet emerging from the feed rolls 7 and 7' and the copy sheet is substantially dried by the time the trailing end of the copy sheet leaves the feed rolls and the weight of the copy sheet causes the copy sheet to drop into the tray 8 and form a neat pile at C, as clearly shown in the drawing. The air flow on the upper surface has practically no obstructions and readily passes through the spaces between the rolls 7 and flows with a high speed along the surface of the emerging copy sheet. The air flow applied to the under surface of the copy sheet cannot pass smoothly over the receiving tray 8 through the spaces between the under rollers 7' due to the front edge of the tray 8 and therefore the leading end of the sensitized copy paper sheet is forced up when the trailing end portion of the sensitized paper copy sheet emerges from the feeding rolls 7, 7 and the sensitized paper copy sheet falls into the receiving tray after floating in the air for a predetermined distance.

lt will be apparent that the present invention provides for applying developer and rapidly drying the developer from the sheets and neatly piling the dried sheets in the receiving tray 8 and the drying air is preferably obtained from the air which is normally provided to cool the exposure lamp and therefore the invention provides for great efficiency by using waste heat and also by avoiding the necessity of manual handling of the sheets.

It will be apparent that changes may be made in the specific embodiments of the invention as defined by the valid scope of the claims.

We claim:

1. A wet developing, drying, and piling apparatus for developing, drying, and piling exposed and developed sensitized sheets as the sheets are passed through the apparatus comprising means to apply wet developer to the exposed surface of the sensitized sheets, a tray spaced from said means to apply developer positioned in the line of movement of the sheets for receiving the dried sheets, feed means spaced away from the means to apply developer and adjacent the leading end of the tray, said feed means comprising a pair of rotatably mounted shafts with a plurality of axially spaced apart discs rotatable with the shaft to feed the leading edge of the sheet into the tray, at least one blower having nozzle means directed toward-the path of the sheets and toward the bite of said discs of the feed means, said nozzle means directing the drying gas from the nozzle means through the space between the discs to dry the sheets, the leading end of the tray extending in the path of air from the nozzle means to deflect the air against the sheets, guide means on the opposite side of the path of the copy sheets with respect to at least one blower to assure that the leading end of the developed sensitized sheets will enter the bite of the spaced apart discs of the feed means and be guided into the pile on the tray.

2. The invention according to claim 1 in which the second zle means for directing drying gas to the opposite surface of the sheets. 

